Happy Turkey Day
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone around the world! I’m deeply grateful for my family, friends, dogs, neighbors, and the incredible dog agility community, as well as the joy of being home surrounded by loved ones, savoring pies and plentiful food, all while football and parades provide the tradition. I’m especially grateful to YOU, the reader, for making us part of your life.
5 Interesting T-Day Factoids
- The First Thanksgiving Wasn’t Just One Day
The first Thanksgiving in 1621, shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, lasted three days. It was a harvest celebration that included feasting, games, and prayers of gratitude. Turkey wasn’t the centerpiece; the menu likely included venison, seafood, and seasonal vegetables. - It Became a National Holiday Thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale, known as the author of the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, campaigned for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday. After 17 years of writing letters to politicians, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, to promote unity. - Thanksgiving Has a Connection to TV Dinners
In 1953, Swanson overestimated the number of frozen turkeys Americans would buy for Thanksgiving and was left with 260 tons of surplus turkey. To use it up, they created the first TV dinners, packaging turkey, cornbread dressing, peas, and sweet potatoes in aluminum trays. - The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Debuted in 1924
The famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in New York City, initially featuring live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo instead of the giant balloons we see today. The first large balloon, Felix the Cat, debuted in 1927. - The Turkey Pardoning Tradition Is Relatively Modern
Although some stories claim President Abraham Lincoln spared a turkey’s life, the modern tradition of the presidential turkey pardon officially began in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush. Each year, one lucky turkey (and its alternate) is spared and sent to live on a farm or sanctuary.
House of Pies
This year, our home will feature Dutch apple, pumpkin, French silk, fresh strawberry, strawberry cheesecake, and banana cream pies. We get them from the House of Pies, a cherished Houston establishment since 1967. Founded by Al Lapin, Jr., who also created IHOP, the house of Pies has long been a hangout for students at nearby Rice University, where Sarah and I met in college.
Did you know that early settlers lacked butter and flour for pie crusts? Yeah, probably no pies at the first Turkey Day. In the 19th century, pies became central to Thanksgiving celebration as they symbolized abundance and prosperity.
I also recently learned about regional differences in pie selection. In the Northeast, pumpkin and apple pies are most popular. In the South, pecan pie. The Midwest favors cherry pies, while the West Coast often features pear or chocolate pies in addition to the more traditional apple and pumpkin. What pies are you serving this year?
UKI U.S. Open
The 2024 UKI U.S. Open was held from November 20th to 24th at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center in Florida. I attended last year’s event to provide commentary for the nightly finals live stream alongside Kama Rueschenberg, but opted to stay home with my family this year as it fell on my birthday weekend. No need to worry—Kama contributed insightful commentary remotely, while agility judge Lee Gibson was at the event in person to provide on-site analysis.
For Thanksgiving this year, we are joined by long-time agility competitor Kate Moureaux, who is halfway between driving home to California from the U.S. Open. Kate has been in the sport since she was six years old, with a remarkable career that spans three decades, during which she has achieved incredible milestones. Kate has won the AKC National Agility Championship with three different dogs, claimed victory as the Westminster 16” champion, and currently handles the Border Collie mother-daughter team, Prize (7 years old) and Lightsaber (4 years old). At this year’s UKI US Open, Prize won the 16” Speedstakes Final, despite skipping the prelims after qualifying directly by winning two UKI Classics. Prize also finished fourth in the National Final, showcasing her incredible skill and versatility.
This year, the entire event was held under cover to address weather-related issues from previous years, which had affected the surface for both handlers and dogs. I’d seen social media buzzing with complaints about the dogwalk in the outdoor covered arena, and asked Kate about it. While the dogwalks in the main building didn’t seem to have any problems, Kate confirmed that the outdoor arena dogwalk was a major topic of discussion. Many dogs faulted on the obstacle, and some seemed to confuse the dogwalk with the teeter, stopping at the top of the up ramp as if waiting for it to drop. Lighting issues also posed challenges, as sharp contrasts between light and shadow may have impacted the visual cues dogs rely on. UKI officials took several steps to address the dogwalk issues, including redesigning parts of the course and adding a screen to improve visual contrast for the dogs. However, Kate noted these adjustments didn’t entirely resolve the problem.
Kate drove her RV all the way from California for the event and was fortunate to secure a full RV hookup, which she described as a game-changer. “Being able to take showers and not have to ration water is amazing,” she said, noting that RV hookups are assigned by lottery and not guaranteed. Kate has attended the UKI US Open every year since it resumed post-COVID, as well as several times before the pandemic. Despite the long drive and the occasional challenge, she plans to compete again next year. “The drive is a lot, but it’s a great event,” she said.
In two weeks, you can see Kate in action as she travels from California to Florida for the AKC Invitational. This time, she will compete with an Icelandic Sheepdog owned by one of her students. Kate won the Invitational in 2010 with Scarlet, a Labrador Retriever.
First and 10
I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and while the ‘Boys might not be having their best season, they’re still in luck this Thanksgiving as they face the New York Giants, a team having an even rougher year. Thanksgiving football is a long-standing tradition, with the Cowboys hosting almost every year since 1966, alongside the Detroit Lions, who kicked it all off back in 1934.
Football is still the most popular sport in the United States, and in recent years there’s been some fun crossover with on-field dog agility demos and even featuring professional football players trying their hand at running agility sequences with dogs, bringing our sport to a much wider audience!
Holiday Movies and Streaming
Last night, we went to see Venom: The Last Dance, and it was truly awful. The plot was barely coherent, highly formulaic, and lacked the humor, relationships, and personal growth that made the first two Venom movies enjoyable. As we walked out of the theater, I asked our son Isaac (who is home from college for the break) why Tom Hardy, who plays Eddie Brock, the main character, would agree to make such a terrible movie. Isaac quickly googled and replied that Hardy was paid $20 million for his role.
This week, movies we’re excited to possibly see in theaters include Wicked, Gladiator 2, and Moana 2.
Otherwise, we haven’t been going to the movies much and have been waiting for films to come to streaming instead. Here are our current streaming picks:
- My Adventures with Superman (animated series): I love that Lois Lane is half-Korean with a dad in the Army, like me.
- Interior Chinatown: We’re watching this now, and I’m still undecided about it. It’s intriguing and has a WandaVision vibe.
- The Diplomat: We’re obsessed! Season 2 is out now, but you must watch Season 1 first to understand what’s going on. We binged Season 1 again before diving into the new episodes.
- The Lioness: After a slow start to Season 1, it got really good. We’re currently in the middle of Season 2, which is still releasing episodes.
- Matlock (starring Kathy Bates): This new legal drama is quickly becoming a favorite.
For movies on streaming:
- The Wild Robot: We LOVED this animated movie and so will you!
- Transformers One: It was okay, but not amazing.
- Borderlands: Absolutely awful, despite its star-studded cast.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
I want to know about your pies! Please email me at team@baddogagility.com with your region or state (Northeast, South, Midwest, West Coast) and which pies you are serving.
Happy Thanksgiving,
